1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of aircraft ground maneuvering devices. More particularly, this invention pertains to hand-held portable aircraft towing devices powered by electricity as opposed to manual devices such as tow bars and the like.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Aircraft come in a variety of sizes, shapes and weights from huge multi-engine military and commercial airplanes weighing many tons to single and twin engine private and light commercial airplanes weighing a few thousand pounds. While aircraft seem to slip through the air with the greatest of ease, on the ground they are cumbersome vehicles, with relatively few handholds and wide soft tires, that are difficult and awkward to maneuver by hand. Whether in a hangar or out on the tarmac, pushing or pulling an airplane from one location to another is often the most physically difficult portion of the flight.
Female flyers have an even more difficult time. While both males and females are fully capable of flying an airplane, and while man can usually use his body weight to aid him in pushing a heavy aircraft, women being generally light-weight and of small frame often find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to move the airplane on the ground. This has led some people to leave the sport of flying that they might otherwise enjoy.
A few attempts have been made to make the chore of moving aircraft easier. Virtually every airport has one or more manual tow bars that are nothing more than an elongated metal shaft having a handle at one end and a pair of ears or hooks at the other end for temporarily attaching to an aircraft to pull or push it. These are of little use for heavy aircraft, not recommended for female pilots because of the low mechanical advantage, and not good for any aircraft where the movement is to be up an inclined surface, such as is often encountered in aircraft parking areas.
Some airports have power-tow devices. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, all with their own individual problems. One type comprises a gasoline engine powered dolly weighing over one hundred pounds; another type is an electrically-powered tow that weighs sixty pounds and requires an extension cord weighing an additional ten pounds. The gasoline-powered unit is generally too much for the female pilot and because of its weight cannot be carried in the aircraft. The electric device is limited in range to the length of the extension cord and also is too heavy to carry in the aircraft. Accordingly, these prior art devices are confined to one location which is exactly one-half or less of the number of locations to be visited by the pilot.